cleaveland



(No Model.)

J.B.0LBAVE LAND.

FENCE Patented Feb-5, 1889.

ATTORNEY n PETERS. ynwm w. Washington. D. c

UNTTED STATES PATENT TEicE.

J OHh B. CLEAVELAND, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 397,110, dated February5, 1889.

Application filed August 25, 1888. Serial No. 283,800. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN B. CLEAVELAND, a citizen of the United States,residing at Indianapolis, in the State of Indiana, have in-' vented newand useful Improvements in Fences, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in wire fences in which the end andcorner posts carrying the wire stretchers or windlasses are embedded inthe ground and firmly held in an upright position by means of a guy anddistance rod and an improved brace-rod of novel construction,hereinafter more fully described.

The object of my invention is to provide, first, .a rigid and stable endor corner post, to which the stretchers are secured, that will resistthe tensile strain of fence-wires when drawn taut without causing anyappreciable variation from its fixed vertical position, and, second, ameans of constructing rapidly a cheap, durable, and substantial fence,as hereinafter more fully described.

My invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a side elevation of fence; Fig. 2, a plan view of the endpost and anchor, showing the manner of securing the guy. Fig. 3 is asection of intermediate posts, showing manner of securing wire-guidesthereto. Fig. 4. is a plan of Windlass. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevationalong spindle of Windlass. Fig. 6 is a plan of guy and distance rodclip; and Fig. 7 a detail of return-buckle guy.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

XV designates the wire-stretcher, formed of a continuous strip ofspring-steel or other resilient metal looped to receive and clamp'endpost, P, and is provided with two arms, a and a, through which holes aredrilled to receive Windlass-spindle s and form a partial bearingtherefor. The spindle 5, formed like an ordinary bolt having a squarehead, 71, loosely fitting into socket sh, integral with ratchet-plate R,is threaded at its opposite end to receive nut n, is provided with aslotted or drilled hole, sw, to receive fence-wire of either round orribbon section, and has formed at its threaded end a flat portion, towhich the nutwasher me is loosely fitted to prevent spindlenut fromunscrewing when spindle is being revolved.

R is a ratchet, having ratchet-teeth r meshing with and corresponding inshape to those of plate R, and is provided with the lips Z, embracingclip, thus holding plate R in a fixed position, which wire-stretcher isand may be of the construction described in Patent No. 375,127,heretofore granted to me.

p designates intermediate posts, having secured thereto the wire-guidestaples Gs, said guidestaples being formed from a continuous piece ofwire bent in the shape of an irregular loop'to form a shoulder to abutagainst post, and having a long and a short leg or prong, one projectingpartially into post, and the other protruding through an amountnecessary to be clinched or bent over,'as in th manner shown in Fig. 3.1

D designates the distance rod or pipe, secured at its ends preferably todowels or teats tand t of clamp-rings O and C, secured to posts by keysis and k, or other suitable devices, said clip 0' being provided withtwo arms, Ga. and Go, through which holes are drilled to receiveguy-bolts Gb, around which guy G is looped, which, passing around corneror end post, P, near its base and through eye e of anchor-arm 'A,carrying blade B, is looped to base of said post P at a point just abovebase-socket, thus effectually resisting the tendency of post to rise inconsequence of the tension of fence-wires, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The feet or bases of guy-posts p consist of a socket, ps, provided withthree or more ribs (preferably three) of irregular profile, tapering toa point, and having formed thereon and integral therewith the flange Fat or near its top. This manner of constructing the base is of greatimportance in fence construction. lVhen the earth is affected by eX-cessive rain or frost, the posts have a great tendency to either rise orsink an amount proportionate to the tension of the wires and guy, thuscausing fence to getout of line. To obviate this evil, I construct thepostbases in the manner described, as I have to end of guy G.

found by experience that this shape of base has a tendency to keep itstrue fixed position, and does not readily sink into the earth.

\Vhen lining up fence, it is desirable that end post be free to sink anamount proportionate to the strain applied to it through guy. Toaccomplish this end, I omit flange on this post, as it offers too greata resistance to the earth. Flanges may be omitted in all otherintermediate post-bases except post p. The wire brace 20 consists of acore or rod, 1), around which coiled tightly the notched or serratedwire or strip of metal (preferably ribbon wire) be, and is bent over andlooped around top, and also, if desired, to bottom fence-wires, thussecuring outer coil to core or red Z1. 'hen it is not desirable to loopbrace-coil around bottom wires, I simply bend it over end of core, thussecuring coil and brace firmly together. The intermediate wires aresecured to brace by means of wires fw, looped around intermediate wires,as shown. It will be seen that a brace constructed in this manner can besecured to fence-wires fa: at any desirable and suitable position alongthem, and when once made fast cannot be moved out of position, eithervertically or along wires, in consequence of the securing-loops beingdrawn tightly into notches of serrated wires and uneven or serratedprofile of brace. The posts being placed in posit-ion, the wires aresecured at their ends, one end to an end post in any suitable manner,and the other to the windlass or stretcher secured to opposite end post.The guy is now secured to intermediate or second post-cli p and anchor,and as wires fw are stretched to their normal tension the guy twisted ordrawn up an amount equal in resistance to the tension applied to post P.The load applied to this post is transmitted through distance-rod D Theguy G, being secured to base of post and passing through eye of anchor,tends to hold posts parallel and in their fixed vertical position. Theanchor may be )laced in an 1 )osition either betwemi corner or end postand first intermediate post, as shown in dotted lines. In such cases Iomit the loop over said post and secure guy to anchor only.

The guy is made, preferably, of a number of wires of suitable thickness,formin a strand twisted and secured in the manner hereinbeforedescribed. A single wire, cable, or even chain, of suitable strength,may be used for this purpose. To apply this method of guy, a spindle inconstruction somewhat similar to that illustrated by Fig. 6 may be used,the ratchet-teeth of which are shaped as shown, the teeth ofspindle-head meshing into teeth of similar form integral with clip.Solid brace-rods, Fig. 7, threaded right and left and connected togetherby a return-buckle secured at top end to clip C and at bottom end toanchor or anchor-wire at a point inside posts P, at which its ends aretwisted togcther, may also be used without departing from the spirit ofmy invention. 'iy turning or screwing buckle the tension of guy can beincreased at will. The anchor consists of an arm, A, and a blade, Iloosely inserted therein at an acute angle. Said arm A is of a concaveshapefwith its concave surface turned. toward blade. I construct anchorin this way, so that when a very great pressure is applied to eye ethrough guy it will tend to sink or still farther embed itself into theearth. It is obvious, however, that the arm A, and blade might be castor formed integral. The clips 0 and (1, inst cad of being secured toposts by means of keys 7c and 7.1, may also be cast, split through aplane passing vertically through center dowels. Thus when distance-rod Dis forced over them it causes said clips to grip or clamp posts.

I do not desire to broadly claim herein a wire and metal tube fenceconuin'ising the posts, the tubes 1), the wires fit, and the clips C 0,having the dowels or teats t t to enter the ends of and support thetubes D, as shown, as this will form the sul)jcetanatter of a separateapplication.

Having thus fully deseribei'l the cmistruetion and arrangement of myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. In a fence, the combination, with the post, of an anchor and a guysecured at a point near the summit of the post, said guy passing aro ndthe end of the post and through an eye in the anchor and looped orswan-ed to the base of said post, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

ii. In a fence, the coinbinatiiim, with the posts I and p and clips C,secured thereto, of the distance-rod D, engaging said clips, guy G,secured to the clip 0', passing around the base of post P,'throngh theeye of anchor, and seemed to said post at its base, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

3. In a fence, the combination, with. the posts I and p and clips C andC, secured thereto, of the distance-rod D, secured. to said clips, ananchor, the latter clip with a wirewinding spindle, and a guy-rod,which, socured to the base of the post P and passing through the eye ofthe anchor, is also secured to the winding-spindle working in arms A andA, integral with clip (1', sul stantially as and for the nn-posedcscribml.

-i-. In a fence, a guide-staple, (is, bent to form a shoulder, andhaving one of its legs penetratiiu partially through posts and the otherentirely through, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In a fence, the post l,e|ip secured thereto, which clip is eugagct'lby one end of the rod 1), red 1), clip (.l, secured to the post I and.engaged by the other end of the rod D, and the arms carrying thewindlass-spindie or bolt 7.), around which the flexible guy is wound, aflexible guy and its anchor, all in combination, substantially as andfor the pur- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my pose set forth.hand in the presence of two subscribing Wit- 6. In a fence, thecombination of a corner nesscs.

or end post, an intermediate post, and a dis- 5 tance-rod secured tosaid posts at or near JOHN B. CLEAVELAND.

their summits, with a guy secured to said intermediate post at or neardistance-rod at its Vit-nesses: top end and anchored to ground at itsbot- T. R. BELL, tom end, substantially as and for the purpose CHAS. F.CLEAVELAND. 10 described.

